May 12, 2010

Jessica and I have returned from showing off our daughter McKenna to our family and friends back home in Michigan. And of course, they loved her! How could they not?

This trip was by far the best time Jessica and I have had while in Michigan. The relentless pressure from our parents and grandparents for our return to West Michigan made us feel loved; however, can’t say just yet that moving back is God’s plan for us.

The reality is–with the arrival of McKenna–the desire to move back home has increased (our family is taking full advantage of our temporarily weak mind setting).

I understand that we experience one life, and one life only on this side of Heaven, and family is beyond important to Jessica and me. As much as I want to settle down and buy a house and spend the rest of my life comfortably positioned in West Michigan, I can’t help but think that there is so much more to this life.

Christianity in many ways has lost its edge. There is no adventure, no excitement, no fun. Is that a result from the comfortable lifestyle that many Christians want? Buy a house, work hard, don’t complain–much anyways?

I can’t stand by and watch my life fade away little by little while God is looking on–shaking His head thinking “if only you knew the greatness I desire for you.” I believe God wants to do something amazing and He is looking for this generation to step up and conduct a movement of God that has never been experienced.

April 19, 2010

The book, recently released on April 13, is a must read for my wife and I. I respect Dr. Dobson and Focus on the Family resources have all been outstanding.

Anyway, to the point.

The second chapter of Bringing Up Girls reveals the scary reality that young girls face. One sentence that got my attention is:

Sales receipts from a few years back indicated that parents spent $1.6 million on thong underwear for their seven-to twelve-year-old daughters.

We should be furious.

Our culture has influenced more than the younger generation of girls, now parents are onboard with society–telling girls they are not good enough, that they need to be what men expect them to be, and that anyone who says differently is holding them down.

I related to the words of Steve Lopez, in which he wrote in the LA Times:

Three months ago, with my wife’s contractions getting closer and closer, we flicked on the TV as a distraction before going to the hospital.

Bad Idea.

No one expects a great deal of enlightenment from the tube these days. But as we switched from one tawdry and vapid reality or dating show to another, I wondered if we should have our heads examined for bringing a child into this world.

Especially a girl.

It’s not just television that scares me. It’s the Internet, pop music, radio, advertising. The most lurid elements of each medium now dominate pop culture, and the incessant, pounding message, directed primarily at you people is that it’s all about sex…Today, if you haven’t just had sex, you’re a loser. If you don’t expect to have it in the immediate future, try plastic surgery, because sex appeal–the one true standard of human achievement–is the only thing worth aspiring to.

Jesus needs to come fix this crap.

In the mean time, how about parents—fathers in particular—wake up and lead your families like you’re suppose to.

April 16, 2010

The arrival of our baby girl has got me thinking a lot about my relationship with God. Mainly I think about how I can best guide my little girl toward the creator of everything, and help her to have a relationship with Him.

There is power behind a person who walks closely with God.

People see something different within you, and they want it, and they are not sure how to get it, even if they know what it actually is. (Did you follow that?)

My desire is to have a authentic relationship with God. Not that “I have a Jesus fish on my car” Christianity, but real Christianity.

I desire to walk through suffering while my little girl watches. I want her to see her daddy trust God and believe in the power He provides. How powerful would that be, and what kind of character would that produce within her?

It is my prayer that McKenna is a great woman of God, and my desire for her to make a difference in this world for the only One that matters.

March 30, 2010

Living Christianity is difficult. Living Christianity as a family is even harder.

I have a hard enough time motivating myself to communicate with God or act in a way that is pleasing to Him (when I don’t feel like it). Sometimes, I am the ultimate Christian but other times I really struggle.

The question I have been throwing around is:

“How can I instill a vision into Jessica and my children that motivates them to be all Jesus knows they can be?”

I want my kids to understand who God made them to be, how they fit into our family, how to have a relationship with God, and how to live in a way that displays all of the above.

In order for this to become a reality you need to have what I call a family vision–that is a motto or statement that drives everything your family does.

The vision of my family can be summed up in 3 words–Live Life Differently.

Next blog post is about the importance of a family vision–don’t miss it.

March 25, 2010

One of my best friends in the entire world jcisonline is very passionate about integrating altars into a child’s life.

An altar is some sort of a reminder of a time when Jesus showed up in your life.

Ok, so thinking about this altar idea, I felt like I needed something to commemorate the induction of another member of the Lewis family–McKenna. I’m looking at Bible verses that can act as an altar in my family’s life.

This Bible verse will function as the altar in my life of McKenna’s arrival, and I want it to speak to McKenna’s identity.

I think it will be difficult to find, but I believe that there is a single verse that will encompass the thoughts and feelings Jessica and I went through, and at the same time communicate to McKenna that she truly is a gift from God.

I will let you know what I come up with, and if you have any ideas send them my way.

March 20, 2010

I have a sink or swim mentality. I prefer to jump into things and figure them out as I go along. Well that is all fine until your speaking about being a father to a little girl.

EKKKKK! I know. No way do I think that a first-time father should figure things out as they go–so I read a ton of books written by “fathers of the years.”

I dove into these books and found that the number one quality of a great father is someone who is connected with Jesus. The overarching theme of all the books I read is that the father must be the leader of the household and give everything they have to the family (in terms of time, love, investing in their children).

Sounds like common sense I know, but in the post-modern era we live in now common sense is not so common.